If this is the first you're hearing of it
Your buyers ask an AI assistant before they call anyone.
No matter what your IT team, your consultants, or your web agency tell you, this is happening this week. Someone types a question like the one on the right, gets a short, confident list, and books two or three calls from it. Your company is either in that answer or it isn't — and nobody is telling you which.
Try it yourself right now: open ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity and ask “Who should I hire for [your service]?” — then see who appears.
Your buyer's AI assistant
We need a commercial lawyer in Charlotte who handles M&A for manufacturers. Who should we talk to?
Here are three firms worth contacting:
- 1Hartley & Shaw LLPClear service pages, named M&A deals, fees published
- 2Crawford & ByrneRecent manufacturing sector wins, client quotes on site
- 3The Aldrich PartnershipConsistent listings across three directories
Based on your description, these firms match best.
Your company isn't in the answer
And you never knew the question was asked. That's the quiet cost of the AI shortlist.